Official Government Website
In April of 2019, Governor Brad Little tasked his Office of Species Conservation with establishing a workgroup dedicated to addressing salmon and steelhead issues. The purpose of the Governor’s Salmon Workgroup is to bring together a diverse set of stakeholders to collaboratively develop a unified policy recommendation for Governor Little to assist him as he shapes Idaho’s policy on salmon and steelhead recovery.
“Idaho has shown time after time that we are a leader in collaborative conservation efforts. I look forward to receiving the policy recommendations from my Salmon Workgroup. Together we will develop effective salmon and steelhead policy for Idaho to ensure that abundant and sustainable populations of salmon and steelhead exist for present and future generations to enjoy.”
The workgroup hosted several meetings throughout Idaho to provide opportunities to share perspectives on salmon and steelhead recovery.
The workgroup brought together leaders in our community to develop Idaho-based, innovative approaches to Idaho salmon and steelhead policy. Workgroup members include representatives from industry, conservation, sportsmen, state and local leaders, and other stakeholders. Specific representatives include:
- Brian Brooks – Idaho Wildlife Federation
- Paul Arrington – Idaho Water Users Association
- John Simpson – Barker Rosholt & Simpson LLP
- Brett Dumas – Idaho Power
- David Doeringsfeld – Port of Lewiston
- Will Hart – Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Association
- Scott Hauser – Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation
- Chad Colter – Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
- Jim Yost – Northwest Power and Conservation Council
- Joe Oatman – Nez Perce Tribe
- Kira Finkler – Trout Unlimited
- Justin Hayes – Idaho Conservation League
- Mark Menlove – The Nature Conservancy
- Stacey Satterlee – Idaho Grain Producers
- Senator Dan Johnson – Pro-Temp designee, Idaho State Senate
- Representative Fred Wood – Speaker designee, Idaho House of Representatives
- Richard Scully – Sportsman
- Aaron Lieberman – Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association
- Roy Akins – Idaho River Community Alliance
- Merrill Beyeler – Former State Representative/Rancher
- Mike Edmondson – Office of Species Conservation
Final Workgroup Documents
Workgroup Meeting Information and Presentations
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Boise, Idaho – 6/28/19 Agenda
- Idaho Salmon and Steelhead – Overview of Management, Status and Factors Affecting Abundance – Jim Fredericks, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Meeting Notes:
Handouts:
- No handouts for meeting on 6/28/19
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Salmon, Idaho – 7/30/2019 – 7/31/2019 Agenda
- Lemhi River Sub-basin – Tom Curet, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Quantifying Habitat Capacity – Chris Beasley, Biomark Inc.
Habitat Funding Panel:
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- A brief overview of BPA’s Fish and Wildlife Program and Funding – Presentation for the Idaho Governor’s Salmon Workgroup – Hannah Dondy-Kaplan, Bonneville Power Administration
- Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) – Jennie Franks, PCSRF Program Coordinator
- Habitat Improvement Funding – Kira Christensen, Bureau of Reclamation
Habitat Restoration Panel:
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- Social Context of Conservation Easements in the Lemhi Basin – Mark Davidson, notes from oral presentation
- Habitat Restoration – Rob Richardson, Rio Applied Science and Engineering
- The Lemhi River Sub-basin, Habitat Conservation; a collaborative approach for beneficial actions – Jeffrey Diluccia, Staff Fishery Biologist, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Creating Complex Habitat in Simplified Streams – Jim Gregory, Lost River Fish Ecology
- Salmon River Subbasin Habitat Actions – Chad Colter, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
Meeting Notes:
Handouts:
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Lewiston, Idaho – 9/20/19 Agenda
- Nez Perce Tribe: Regional Coordination to Benefit Snake River Salmon and Steelhead – Joe Oatman, Nez Perce Tribe
- Watershed Division Activities Overview – Emmit Taylor, Nez Perce Tribe
- Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Department Overview – Dave Johnson, Department Manager, Nez Perce Tribe
- Out of State, but Not Out of Mind: Hydro-system Operations and Fish – Jay Hesse, Nez Perce Tribe
- FRCPS Hydro Operations – Robert Petty, Bonneville Power Administration
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Twin Falls, Idaho – 10/29/19 – 10/30/19 Agenda
10/29/19 – Presentations
- Columbia Basin Partnership Task Force: Overview of Phase 1 Recommendations – Katherine Cheney, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- The Columbia Basin Partnership Task Force – Paul Kline, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- 427 KAF Retrospective – Michael Bogart, Midas Gold
- Flow Augmentation water from the Upper Snake and Payette systems – John Roache, Bureau of Reclamation
10/30/19 – Presentations
- Overview of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center’s Life Cycle and COMPASS Models – Richie Graves, Interior Columbia Basin Office, NOAA Fisheries
- Presentation from Steve Haeseker, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Comparative Survival Study, SARs and Productivity – Tim Copeland, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- SARs and Juvenile Survival of Upper Columbia Stocks – Dan Rawding, Washington Department of Fish and Game
- Snake River Fall Chinook – Dan Rawding, Washington Department of Fish and Game
- Presentation from Bob Lessard – Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Meeting Notes
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Boise, Idaho – 11/19/19 Agenda
- Technical Topics – Salmon Workgroup
- BPA Financial Picture– Marcus Harris, Bonneville Power Administration
- US v. OR – Johnathan Litster, University of Idaho – Legal Extern
- Avian Predation – Mike Langsley – United States Army Corps of Engineers
- Pinniped Predation – Christine Kozfkay and Don Whitney, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Meeting Notes
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Boise, Idaho – 1/17/20 – 1/18/20 Agenda
- NOAA’s Estuarine and Ocean Salmon Research – Brian Burke, NOAA Fisheries – NWFSC
- How Science Can Inform Recovery of Wild, Idaho Chinook Salmon and Steelhead – Russ Thurow, United States Forest Service (USFS)
- Columbia River Fisheries Management – Guy Norman, Washington State Governor’s Office and Northwest Power and Conservation Council Member
- Columbia River Treaty Mainstem Fisheries – Stuart Ellis, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Meeting Notes
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting in Nampa, Idaho – 3/5/20 Agenda
- CRSO EIS presentation
- Salmon and Steelhead Run Forecasts for 2020 – Chris Sullivan, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Meeting Notes
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting via Zoom – 4/28 & 4/29/20 Agenda
- Hatchery Review and Reform Processes in the Columbia Basin – Paul Kline, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Tools to Assess Hatchery Performance and Manage Conservation Based Hatchery Programs – Brian Leth and Matthew Campbell, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Snake River Fall Chinook Program: An example of operating a large scale mitigation and supplementation program using integration – William Young and Becky Johnson, Nez Perce Tribe
- Johnson Creek Artificial Propagation Enhancement Monitoring and Evaluation – Craig Rabe, Nez Perce Tribe
- Spring/Summer Chinook Harvest Programs: Road-map for reducing risk and moving a large mitigation program to full integration – Lance Hebdon, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Limiting Factors for Hatchery Management, Endangered Species Act (ESA), Logistics, and Risk – Lance Hebdon, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Clearwater Fish Hatchery Water Supply: Potential to Increase Smolt Production and Adult Returns – Gary Byrne, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Meeting Notes
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting via Zoom – 5/27 & 5/28/20 Agenda
- 2019 – 2021 Flex Spill Agreement, 2020 Implementation Update – Jay Hesse, Nez Perce Tribe
- Idaho Blocked Areas Policy – Mike Edmondson, Office of Species Conservation
- Comparisons of Reproductive Success Between Hatchery and Natural Fish: Current Research and Perspectives – Ilana Koch, Columbia River Inter Tribal Fish Commission
- Blocked Basins in the Snake River Basin – James Chandler, Idaho Power
- Marine-Derived Nutrients, Cultural Oligotrophication – Andre Kohler, Shoshone Bannock Tribe
Meeting Notes
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting via Zoom – 7/8 & 7/9/20 Agenda
Meeting Notes
- Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting Notes 7/8 – 7/9/20
- How to update Zoom
Governor’s Salmon Workgroup Meeting via Zoom – 8/26 & 8/27/2020
- Envisioning the Future of Idaho Power- Brett Dumas, Idaho Power
Meeting Notes
Media Advisories
06/19/2019 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup to hold first meeting 6/28/2019
07/16/2019 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup hosting public meeting in Salmon, Idaho
09/11/2019 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup hosting public meeting in Lewiston, Idaho
10/22/2019 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup to hold meeting in Twin Falls, Idaho
11/13/2019 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup to hold public meeting in Boise, Idaho
01/13/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet in Boise, Idaho
02/24/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet in Nampa, Idaho
07/1/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet via Zoom on July 8 and 9
10/26/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet via Zoom on October 27
11/12/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet via Zoom on November 12
12/2/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet via Zoom on December 2
12/8/2020 – Governor’s Salmon Workgroup will hear public comments and meet via Zoom on December 15
Public Comment
Submission
The Governor’s Salmon Workgroup accepted written comments until 5pm MST on December 14th, 2020. The Workgroup appericates all of the public input received during this process.
Archive
Below are combined PDF’s of written comments recieved by the Governor’s Salmon Workgroup.